MidStateVending Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 I am a total newbie to coffee and water. I have an account that I do snacks and drinks for... but they are now requesting coffee and water... and I would like to try it. They want bottless water and filtered coffee in a container that holds about 10-15 cups. I don't know where to start. How much to charge to lease a basic water machine? Also, any suggestions on coffee? Is it worth the hassle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 If this is your typical OCS (office coffee systems) situation then you may be able to just offer one bunn brewer with at least 2 warming plates. They'll still have to brew two decanters but they'll have enough cups. That's all I can offer on OCS knowledge. Keeping it simple is important in my mind. As for water.. that's tough. Firstly, I don't know where or how you can get it wholesale. I had a similar situation to yours in the past. The problem with the water was that they provided it for "free" for their staff but they "asked" for donations. They never broke even so they took the brunt of the costs on themselves. For the coffee, they wanted premium single-serve coffee that was cheap. The only way to really do that is with a machine that must be maintained regularly. In the end, they kept their existing OCS service and canceled the water entirely. The point of the matter is that I looked for the cost of water and there was no profitable way that I could find to do it. To make it anything even CLOSE to profitable (but still not), I had to sell it for the same cost or more than they already had. Simply put, unless you are selling bulk jugs of water on a large scale (enough to have a truck dedicated for it), then it's probably not profitable. One thing you COULD try to do is to enter a contract to provide a commercial water filter system and charge for filter replacements. It would be cheaper for them in the long run and more profitable for you but I would highly discourage this since YOU can be liable for any water leaks and you do NOT want to be liable for water damage. Hopefully someone else gives you some feedback on the issue. I think you should focus strictly on the coffee. Even if you can work a deal out where you provide the water at cost BUT you get a good profit on the coffee, it might be worth it... but it might not be. If you don't mind me asking, how good is this account? Do they do more than $4,000/year between snacks and soda combined? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 http://www.hhdonline.com/ May be a resource for filtered coolers, ocs equipment, and info... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidStateVending Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 1 hour ago, AngryChris said: If this is your typical OCS (office coffee systems) situation then you may be able to just offer one bunn brewer with at least 2 warming plates. They'll still have to brew two decanters but they'll have enough cups. That's all I can offer on OCS knowledge. Keeping it simple is important in my mind. As for water.. that's tough. Firstly, I don't know where or how you can get it wholesale. I had a similar situation to yours in the past. The problem with the water was that they provided it for "free" for their staff but they "asked" for donations. They never broke even so they took the brunt of the costs on themselves. For the coffee, they wanted premium single-serve coffee that was cheap. The only way to really do that is with a machine that must be maintained regularly. In the end, they kept their existing OCS service and canceled the water entirely. The point of the matter is that I looked for the cost of water and there was no profitable way that I could find to do it. To make it anything even CLOSE to profitable (but still not), I had to sell it for the same cost or more than they already had. Simply put, unless you are selling bulk jugs of water on a large scale (enough to have a truck dedicated for it), then it's probably not profitable. One thing you COULD try to do is to enter a contract to provide a commercial water filter system and charge for filter replacements. It would be cheaper for them in the long run and more profitable for you but I would highly discourage this since YOU can be liable for any water leaks and you do NOT want to be liable for water damage. Hopefully someone else gives you some feedback on the issue. I think you should focus strictly on the coffee. Even if you can work a deal out where you provide the water at cost BUT you get a good profit on the coffee, it might be worth it... but it might not be. If you don't mind me asking, how good is this account? Do they do more than $4,000/year between snacks and soda combined? Yes, this account clears about $5000 gross. You make a good point about water leakage... me and high pressure water do not mix. They want a bottleless water cooler, so I wonder if a $39.95/ mo lease would be feasible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 The $39.95/month is the going rate here. I've looked into it, but never done it. In fact, I think Sam's Club sells the bottleless coolers. However, you'll want to research reliability and recharge rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindVending Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Follettice.com has been great to me. Can buy or lease water ice machines. Very high quality. I rent the ice/water machines for 29.99 month and provide the water coolers free to account. However this is a monster account doing North of 4k a week so don't mind eating a few coolers out of pocket. Anyhow give them an email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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